Apparatus for clarifying saccharine solutions



i (No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

y L. P. HAUBim/IAN.

vAPPARAI'IFS FOR G'LARIPYING SAGGHARINB SOLUTIONS.

No. 574,732. Patented Jan. 5, 1897.

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UNITED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

LEON FRANCOIS HAUBTMAN, OF NEIV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

APPARATUS FOR CLARIFYING SACCHARINE SOLUTIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 574,732, dated January5, 1897.

Application liled August 26, 1896. Serial No. 6031946. KNO model.)

T0 cLZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that 1, LEON FRANCOIS HAUBT- MAN, of New Orleans, in theparish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Clarifying Saccharine Solutions, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to an apparatus for clarifying saccharinesolutions Vfrom sugarcane or similar sugar-producing material, and theobject is to provide a device, by means of which the solution mayberapidly clarified without contact with atmospheric air. Y v In carryingout my invention I employa series of heating vessels, one connected'with another, and through which the solution to be claried is forced inone direction, while the heating medium is forced through the vessels inan opposite direction.

The invention further comprises vessels in which the hot solution isreduced in temperature by a cold solution iiowing through saidvessels'in its course to the clarifying vessels. Reference is to be hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich similar characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in allthe figures.

Figure 1 is a partial elevation and partial section of an apparatusembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal .section of a heatingor clarifying vessel, drawn on anienlarged scale. Fig. 3 is an end View.Fig. 4 is a section through line 4 4 of Fig. 2, and Fig.

5 is a sectional view of a cylinder of modified construction.

The several heaters or clarifying vessels are here shown as made in theform of cylinders 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, one arranged above the other andconnected one with another. These ves-v sels are all similarlyconstructed, and this construction may be clearly seen in the enlargedView, Fig. 4, in which the cylinder 1, closed at its ends by eapplates6, is provided ywith interior tube-sheets 7 and 8.

Extended longitudinally of the vessel and entirely across the same is apartition 9,whieh terminates at a point a short distance from the innerside of the tube-sheet 8, thereby forming a space for'the passage of aheating medium, as will be hereinafter explained. The partition 9extends between the tubesheet 7 and the head 6. Therefore at this end ofthe vessel is formed the receiving-chamber 10 and a discharge-chamber11. At the opposite end a'transferring-chamber is formed, the walls ofwhich are provided by the tubesheet 8 and the head 6. The chamber 10 isconnected with the chamber 12 by a number of tubes 13, and the chamber12 is connected with the discharge-chamber 11 by a number of tubes 14.The several tubes of course extend through the tube-sheets 7 and 8,those connecting the chambers 10 and 12 being arranged below thepartition 9 and those connectingthe chambers 11 and 12 being arrangedabove said partition.

l A pump 15 communicates with the receiv ing-chamber 10 of the lowervessel 1 of the series by means of a pipe 1G, and the discharge-chamber11 of this lower vessel con nects with the receiving-chamber 10 of thevessel next above it, and these connections between the vessels continueto the upper one. The discharge'-chamber 11, however, of the uppervessel connects with a pipe 17, which extends downward into areceiving-tank 18.

A heating medium, such, for instance, as steam, is admitted to the spacebetween the tube-sheets in the upper vessel 5 by means of a pipe 19, andthis space is connected with a similar space of the, vessel `next below,and these steam connections continue to the lower vessel 1, which has anoutlet 2O for the eX- haust-steam.

Arranged adjacent to the clarifying vessels is a pair of cooling vessels21 and 22, one arranged above the other, and preciselysimilar inconstruction and connections to the clari fying vessels abovedescribed.` In these clarifying vessels, however, a heating medium isnot employed, as it is their office to reduce the temperature of theclarified solution to a point below the boiling-point, prior toitsdischarge into a settling-tank to be hereinafter described. Therefore inthese cooling vessels the clarified solution is forced back and forththrough the several tubes 13 and 14, and acold IOO so that said coldliquid may vabsorb considerable of theheat contained in th'e liquidtreated.

From the pipe 17 a pipe 23 leads into the receiving-chamber of the lowervessel 2l, and from the discharge-chamber of the upper vessel 22 a pipe24 leads to and discharges into a settling-tank 25. The pipe 24: ispreferably provided with a pressure-regulator, here shown in the form ofa safety-valve 2G, so as to give a certain fixed amount of pressure inthe closed vessel corresponding to the degree of heat desired in thevessel.

From a discharge-tank 27 a valved pipe 2S leads into the spacesurrounding the tubes 14 and 13 in the upper vessel 22, and a pipe 29leads from the chamber surrounding the pipes in the lower vessel 2l intothe receivingtank 1S, which is connected by a pipe 30 with the pump 15.The vessels 21 and 22 may be provided with hand-holes having covers 31,so that byremoving the said covers the interiors of the vessels may bereached for the purpose of cleaning them.

The settling-tank 25 has a series of partitions 32, extended upward fromthe bottom to near its top, and a series of partitions 33, reX- tendingfrom the top portion downward to near the bottom of the tank andalternating with the partitions The heat, as soon as it strikes theliquors to be treated or clarified, separates the pure liquor from theimpurities, and to keep these impurities from settling in the tubes intransit, this liquor must have a rapid circulation through the tubes. Tokeep up this rapid circulation, about the same quantity of liquor mustbe handled in a certain time, otherwise the liquor will deposit some of`its impurities in the tubes and finally stop them up. To obviate this,I provid-e each end of certain of the tubes in both the heating vesselsand the cooling vessels with valves 34, having stem portions extendedoutward through t-he heads (i. This will enable an operator to employthe necessary number of tubes for the quantity of liquor to be treated.In each vessel I have shown tive tubes above the partition 9 and fivetubes below the said partition. For instance, with all the tubes open, asatisfactory circulation for two hundred and fifty thousand gallonsdaily is provided. If it is desired to pass through the tubes twohundred thousand gallons per day, one pipe on each side of the partitionshould be closed by its valve. If only one hundred and fifty thousandgallons are to be circulated, two pipes on each side of the partitionshould be closed. Therefore it follows that the greater the number oftubes closed the less liquid it will take to keep up the propercirculation, thus making one apparatus available for differentquantities of liquor by the more handling of the valves 34.

Each heating vessel may be provided with a thermometer, so that the heattherein may be ascertained at any time.

In operation the solution to be treated is yforced by the pump l5 intothe receivingchamber 10 of the vessel 1, thence through the pipes 13into the chamber 12and thence through the pipes 14 into thedischarge-chamber 11, and so on upward and out through the pipe 17,where it may be discharged into the receiving-tank 18 to be againtreated, if desired.

It will be seen that the pipe 23 is provided with a valve 35, which maybe closed to direct the liquid through the pipe 17 into the vessel ortank 18, and the pipe 17 is provided with a valve 36, which may beclosed when it is desired to force the clarified solution through thecooling vessels 21 and 22. Of course while the solution is forced upwardthrough the several heating vessels the heating medium, such, forinstance, as steam, is forced downward and out through the pipe 20.

Instead of discharging the clarified solution into the tank 1S the valve3G may be closed and the valve 35 opened. Then the hot liquid will runthrough the pipes 13 and 14: in the cooling vessels and out to thesettling-tank, and at the same time a crude cold solution from the tank27 will How through the cooling-tanks and absorb a portion of the heatof the clarified liquid. This cold liquid of course will flowinto thetank 1S to be pumped to the heating vessels.

By forcing the heating medium downward and the liquid upward it isobvious that the hottest liquid is always acted upon by the hottestportion of the steam.

If it is necessary to keep the liquid free of air during treatment, thereceiving-tank may be closed air-tight.

To provide for a greater or varied circulation of juice in a clarifyingvessel, it may be provided with a series of compartments formed bypartitions 35, as shown in Fig. 5.

Each section of the vessel maybe filled with one or more tubes and madeto suit the quantity of liquor required to be clarified.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as now and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. An apparatus for clarifying saccharine IOO IIO

solutions, comprising a number of heating vessels, one arranged aboveanother and having connections one with another, each vessel havingchambers at its ends, tubes connecting said chambers, valves for closingthe ends of certain of said tubes, partitions extended longitudinallythrough the vessels, means for forcing a solution to be clarifiedthrough the series of vessels, and means for directing a heating mediumthrough said vessels, substantially as specified.

2. An apparatus for clarifying saccharine solutions, comprising a seriesof vessels connected one with another, veach Vessel having l ber, tubesconnecting the transferring-chamber and discharge-chamber, valves forclosing the ends of certain of said tubes, a partition extendedlongitudinallyv in the Vessel and having a space between its end and oneof the tubesheets, means for forcing a heating medium through theseveral heating vessels, means for forcing a liq uidl through theseveral heating Vessels in a direction opposite to that of the heatingmedium, a tank for receiving the liquid from the heating Vessels, and acooling Vessel similar in construction to the heating vessels,substantially as specified.

3. An apparatus for clarifying saccharine solutions, comprising a seriesof closed heating vessels having connections for the passage of liquidto be treated, and also having connections for the passage of steam orother heating medium, circulating-pipes arranged in each Vessel, valvesat the ends of certain `forein g the liquid through the heating vessels,

substantially as specilied.

LEON FRANCOIS IIAUBTMAN.

lVitnesses:

GEO. -BALDoRF, JNO. DE BLOIS.

